Camille Naredo

This aerial view shows displaced Palestinians returning to the war-devastated Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip on January 19, 2025, shortly before a ceasefire deal in the war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas was implemented. Omar Al-Qattaa, AFP/File

This aerial view shows displaced Palestinians returning to the war-devastated Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip on January 19, 2025, shortly before a ceasefire deal in the war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas was implemented. Mediator Qatar on January 19 confirmed the start of a truce between Israel and Hamas and said some of the initial three hostages to be freed hold foreign citizenship. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)

Article (news)

GAZA

Agence France-Presse

<p>GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories -- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that Israel will &quot;take control&quot; of the whole of Gaza, as the military pressed a newly intensified campaign in the war-ravaged territory.</p><p>After Israel announced it would let a &quot;basic amount&quot; of food into the Gaza Strip, Netanyahu said it was necessary to prevent a famine for &quot;diplomatic reasons&quot;.</p><p>In Gaza, rescuers said air strikes killed at least 22 people, after the military announced it had begun &quot;extensive ground operations&quot; against Hamas.</p><p>&quot;The fighting is intense and we are making progress. We will take control of all the territory of the Strip,&quot; Netanyahu said in a video posted on Telegram.</p><p>&quot;We will not give up. But in order to succeed, we must act in a way that cannot be stopped.&quot;</p><p>Israel has come under mounting international pressure, including from key backer the United States, to lift a total blockade it imposed on Gaza more than two months ago.</p><p>&quot;We must not let the population (of Gaza) sink into famine, both for practical and diplomatic reasons,&quot; Netanyahu said, adding that even friends of Israel would not tolerate &quot;images of mass starvation&quot;.</p><p>In a report this month, the UN- and NGO-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification said Gaza was at &quot;critical risk of famine&quot;, with 22 percent of the population facing an imminent humanitarian &quot;catastrophe&quot;.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2025/5/18/israel-to-allow-food-into-gaza-after-two-month-blockade-0619">READ: Israel to allow food into Gaza after two month blockade</a></div><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2025/5/18/israel-says-open-to-deal-that-includes-ending-the-fighting-in-gaza-2212">READ: Israel says open to deal that includes &#x27;ending the fighting&#x27; in Gaza</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>- &#x27;Reduced to starvation&#x27; -</strong></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1747649570996AFP__20250119__36UL2KW__v3__Preview__TopshotPalestinianIsraelConflict.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="This aerial view shows displaced Palestinians returning to the war-devastated Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip on January 19, 2025, shortly before a ceasefire deal in the war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas was implemented. Omar Al-Qattaa, AFP/File"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">This aerial view shows displaced Palestinians returning to the war-devastated Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip on January 19, 2025, shortly before a ceasefire deal in the war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas was implemented. <em>Omar Al-Qattaa, AFP/File</em></span></span></span></div><p>Israel said its blockade since March 2 was aimed at forcing concessions from the Palestinian militant group, but UN agencies have warned of critical shortages of food, clean water, fuel and medicines.</p><p>Last week US President Donald Trump acknowledged that &quot;a lot of people are starving&quot;, adding &quot;we&#x27;re going to get that taken care of&quot;.</p><p>In his inaugural mass, Pope Leo XIV called on the faithful not to forget &quot;our brothers and sisters who are suffering because of war.</p><p>&quot;In Gaza, the surviving children, families and elderly are reduced to starvation,&quot; he said.</p><p>But Israel&#x27;s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir argued against any resumption of aid, saying on X: &quot;Mr Prime Minister, our hostages receive no humanitarian aid.&quot;</p><p>&quot;The Prime Minister is making a serious mistake in this move, and he has no majority at all. Hamas must only be crushed, and not at the same time provided with oxygen for its survival,&quot; he said in a statement.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2025/5/17/rescuers-say-100-dead-as-israel-launches-fresh-gaza-offensive-1511">READ: Rescuers say 100 dead as Israel launches fresh Gaza offensive</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>- No breakthrough in talks -</strong></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1747649609214AFP__20250403__38YG8FN__v1__Preview__HungaryIsraelPoliticsDiplomacyConflict.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference with Hungary&#x27;s Prime Minister (unseen) after bilateral talks on April 3, 2025 in Budapest, Hungary. Attila Kisbenedek, AFP/File"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference with Hungary&#x27;s Prime Minister (unseen) after bilateral talks on April 3, 2025 in Budapest, Hungary. <em>Attila Kisbenedek, AFP/File</em></span></span></span></div><p>Israel&#x27;s military on Monday said the air force had struck &quot;160 terror targets&quot; in Gaza over the past day, as it pressed an expanded offensive.</p><p>The campaign, which Israel says aims to free hostages and defeat Hamas, started Saturday as the two sides entered indirect talks in Qatar on a deal.</p><p>Netanyahu&#x27;s office said negotiators Doha were &quot;working to exhaust every possibility for a deal -- whether according to the Witkoff framework or as part of ending the fighting&quot;.</p><p>Steve Witkoff is the US Middle East envoy who has been involved in discussions.</p><p>Netanyahu&#x27;s statement said a deal &quot;would include the release of all the hostages, the exile of Hamas terrorists, and the disarmament of the Gaza Strip&quot;.</p><p>Since a two-month ceasefire collapsed in March as Israel resumed its offensive, negotiations mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the United States have failed to make a breakthrough.</p><p>Netanyahu has opposed ending the war without Hamas&#x27;s total defeat, while Hamas has balked at handing over its weapons.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2025/5/12/hamas-frees-us-israeli-hostage-0243">READ: Hamas frees US-Israeli hostage</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>- &#x27;No one left&#x27; -</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wDx24c2jkdY?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><p>On Monday, there were heavy strikes in and around the main southern city of Khan Yunis, where civil defense agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal said 11 people were killed and several others wounded.</p><p>Bassal also reported another 11 deaths in strikes on other parts of the territory.</p><p>AFPTV footage from Gaza on Sunday showed people sifting through ruined shelters and rescuers treating the wounded.</p><p>&quot;All my family members are gone. There is no one left,&quot; said a distraught Warda al-Shaer.</p><p>&quot;The children were killed as well as their parents. My mother died too, and my niece lost her eye.&quot;</p><p>The United Nations had warned of the risk of famine in Gaza before the aid blockade was imposed.</p><p>Hamas&#x27;s October 2023 attack that triggered the war resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.</p><p>Hamas also took 251 hostages during the attack, 57 of whom remain in Gaza, including 34 the military says are dead.</p><p>Gaza&#x27;s health ministry said Sunday at least 3,193 people have been killed since Israel resumed strikes on March 18, taking the war&#x27;s overall toll to 53,339.</p><div><strong>-- AFP team in Gaza with Stuart White in Jerusalem</strong></div><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div>

<p>Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that Israel will "take control" of the whole of Gaza, as the military pressed a newly intensified campaign in the war-ravaged territory.</p>

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that Israel will "take control" of the whole of Gaza, as the military pressed a newly intensified campaign in the war-ravaged territory.

Israel will 'take control of all' of Gaza, says Netanyahu

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Israel will 'take control of all' of Gaza, says Netanyahu

Agence France-Presse

Published May 19, 2025 06:55 PM PHT

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